After Honda Tohru’s mother died in a car accident, Tohru was left to her grandfather who at the time resided with relatives who did not look so fondly on Tohru due to her mother. However, when her grandfather’s house was slated for renovations, Tohru set off to a forest and set up a tent until renovations were finished to avoid being a burden to others. One fateful day, as she was leaving for school; Tohru noticed a house in the middle of the forest, inhabited by members of the Sohma family. Eventually, she took up residence with them, and becomes entwined with a deep dark secret.

Fruits Basket is one of those anime that I love every minute of. There are hardly any characters I don’t like, and the anime supplies some of the most dramatic scenes you’ll ever watch. Whether it was my first time or my fourth time watching it,Fruits Basket always kept me captivated with the same intensity. To me, that’s an excellent indicator of a superb anime.

What I love about Fruits Basket is how all the members of the Sohma family interact. Each character’s personality is taken from their respected Chinese zodiac animal, and how the personalities of naturally opposing creatures conflict with each other keeps things engrossingly interesting. Whether it’s Kisa innocently following Tohru like a cub and its mother, or Kyo bullying Momiji, or Ayame trying desperately to gain Yuki’s affection, they’re all scenes that I’ll always remember.

Fruits Basket doesn’t hide the fact that it heavily depended on its excellent cast to compensate for relatively weak plot. Simply put, the plot was Tohru getting to know the members of the Sohma family; but even with this basic premise, it still works. Discovering new people with the curse of the Zodiac kept Fruits Basket refreshing, and the end result was that there were only one or two episodes that I didn’t find entertaining or boring. At first glance the conclusion may seem irresolute, but if you focus on the significance of Tohru’s relationship to the Sohma family, you’ll find perfect closure.

As the series progresses, it’s apparent that Tohru is a means of healing the scars of the family curse, and the methods to accomplishing that will take a harsh toll on not only Tohru, but all of the members of the Sohma family as well. The true essence of Fruits Basket is whether Tohru has the strength and heart to see it through, and this will become clearer as you witness some of the more emotional moments this anime has to offer.